Created for young-at-heart adventurers, this blog provides information about both domestic and international travel.

What to expect

“If you reject the food, ignore the
customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at
home.” – James Michener

Hindu Temple - Singapore

If you are traveling to a foreign country, the first thing
to keep in mind is it’s different from the US. Language, culture, food and
accommodations will not match what we have in the States. Not everyone speaks
even a modicum of English. However, in most cases people are obliging; they
will go out of their way to help a traveler. If you want to make a good
impression, know a few words in the language of the country you are visiting:
please, thank you, pardon me, hello, good-bye make interactions more pleasant.
Speaking a few words badly is better than making no effort at all. Unless you
are in a very small town people younger than 40 years may have enough English
to communicate basic information. A really good resource is BKYI 4 Express, free language
learning software; with some work you can become conversational in common
languages. And, of course, there are translations apps for your phone.

People in foreign countries walk and take public
transportation. Along with your phone’s GPS, you’ll probably want a good map
and guide book. This is where obliging people can be important. Pointing to a
place on a map and looking lost will usually get you where you want to go.

In most countries, people dress more formally than in the
US. Americans have the reputation of being slobs, and unfortunately when
compared to people in many other countries, we are. Raggedy jeans, T-shirts
with holes, and nasty shoes won’t do. While you don’t have dress up, you do
have to neaten up; nice jeans, good T-shirts and well-made shoes are more
acceptable. Be sure that you know what sort of dress might be offensive and in
what circumstances you need to be circumspect in your attire.

Americans are loud. Conversations are much quieter in other
countries. You may actually have to strain to hear normal conversations with
native speakers, and you will get used to the closer proximity of people when
they speak.